Server device and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A server device includes communication means, information storage means, and output means. The communication means communicates with an information processing device that includes a display unit for displaying a symbol and a sending unit for sending information relating to the failure of the own device. The information storage means stores the information relating to the failure sent from the information process device. The output means outputs information relating to the failure stored in an access destination specified by the symbol to a user terminal that reads the symbol.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2020-187817, filed on Nov. 11, 2020, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate to a server device and a controlmethod thereof.

BACKGROUND

An information processing device such as a digital multi-functionalperipheral (MFP) in the related art has the function of notifying a userof a failure circumstance if a failure occurs. In order to use thisfunction, the user needs to register a contact destination, such as ane-mail address in the information processing device, in advance. Thatis, if the user does not register the contact destination, the user isnot notified of the failure circumstance. When the user registers thecontact destination, the user is notified of each failure circumstance.Therefore, among the users who register the contact destination but donot frequently use the information processing device, some users feelannoyed by being notified of each failure circumstance. Therefore, thereis a demand for a mechanism that allows the user to be efficientlynotified of the failure circumstance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an informationprocessing system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration ofan MFP;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration of aWeb server;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image table;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a managementtable;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a contactdestination table;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration of auser terminal;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a main control procedure of aprocessor in the MFP;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a main control procedure of aprocessor in the Web server;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a main control procedure of aprocessor in the information terminal;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the main control procedure of theprocessor in the Web server;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the main control procedure of theprocessor in the Web server;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the main control procedure of theprocessor in the Web server;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an accessscreen; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a failurestatus screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is related to providing a server device thatenables the user to be effectively notified of the failure circumstance,and a control method thereof.

In general, according to one embodiment, a server device includescommunication means, information storage means, and output means. Thecommunication means communicates with an information processing devicethat includes a display unit for displaying a symbol and a sending unitfor sending information relating to the failure of the informationprocessing device. The information storage means stores the informationrelating to the failure sent from the information processing device. Theoutput means outputs information relating to the failure stored in anaccess destination specified by the symbol to a user terminal that readsthe symbol.

Hereinafter, one embodiment is described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an informationprocessing system 1 according to an embodiment. The informationprocessing system 1 includes a plurality of MFPs 10 (informationprocessing devices, target devices) and a Web server 20 (server). TheMFP 10 is an example of an information processing device. The Web server20 is a server device (server) for managing the MFPs 10. The MFP 10 andthe Web server 20 are connected to each other to a dedicatedcommunication network 2. The dedicated communication network 2 istypically a dedicated digital line, an Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN) line, or the like. In addition, the Web server 20provides a service from the dedicated communication network 2 to aplurality of user terminals 30 via a wide area network 3, such as theInternet. The user terminal 30 is a terminal possessed by a user whouses the MFP 10. The user terminal 30 is a well-known portable terminalcompatible with the Internet. For example, a smartphone, a tabletterminal, and the like can be used as the user terminal 30.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration ofthe MFP 10 according to the embodiment. The MFP 10 includes a scanner11, a printer 12, a control system 13, and an operation panel 14. Thescanner 11, the printer 12, and the operation panel 14 are connected tothe control system 13.

The scanner 11 is a device that optically reads an image of a documentin response to an operation instruction from the control system 13 andconverts the image into image information. The scanner 11 outputs theimage information of the read document into the control system 13.

The printer 12 prints an image based on the image information suppliedfrom the control system 13 on paper under various printing conditionsdesignated from the control system 13.

The printer 12 may be, for example, an electrophotographic printer, aninkjet printer, or a thermal transfer printer.

The control system 13 comprehensively controls the operation of eachunit, such as the scanner 11, the printer 12, and the operation panel14. The control system 13 performs various types of processing such asimage processing. The control system 13 includes a processor 131, arandom-access memory (RAM) 132, a read-only memory (ROM) 133, a datamemory 134, an image memory 135, an image processing unit 136, afacsimile (FAX) I/F 137, and a communication interface (I/F) 138.

The processor 131 performs processing such as calculation and controlaccording to programs. The processor 131 realizes various processingfunctions by executing a program stored in the ROM 133 or the datamemory 134. The RAM 132 is a working memory. The RAM 132 is, forexample, a volatile memory. The ROM 133 is a program memory. The ROM 133is, for example, a non-volatile memory.

The data memory 134 stores control data, a control program, settinginformation, and the like. The data memory 134 is, for example, anon-volatile memory. The image memory 135 is configured with a hard diskdrive, a page memory, and the like. The image memory 135 stores imageinformation. The image processing unit 136 performs an image processwith respect to the image information.

The FAX I/F 137 is an interface for performing FAX communication. Thecommunication interface 138 is an interface for performing datacommunication with an external device via a network such as thededicated communication network 2.

The operation panel 14 is a user interface. The operation panel 14includes a touch panel 141 and an input device 142. The touch panel 141is a stack of a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organicelectro-luminescence (EL) display and a sensing device that detectstouch input. The input device 142 is, for example, a button, a keyboard,a keypad, or a touchpad.

The MFP 10 stores a device identifier (ID) in the data memory 134. Thedevice ID is a unique code assigned to each MFP 10 to identify the MFP10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a main circuit configuration ofthe Web server 20. The Web server 20 includes a processor 21, a mainmemory 22 (memory), an auxiliary storage device 23 (memory), a clock 24,a communication interface 25, and a system transmission line 26. Thesystem transmission line 26 includes an address bus, a data bus, acontrol signal line, and the like. The Web server 20 connects theprocessor 21, the main memory 22, the auxiliary storage device 23, theclock 24, and the communication interface 25 to the system transmissionline 26. In the Web server 20, a computer is configured with theprocessor 21, the main memory 22, and the auxiliary storage device 23together with the system transmission line 26 that connects the above.

The processor 21 controls each unit so that various functions as the Webserver 20 can be realized according to an operating system or anapplication program.

The main memory 22 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatilememory area. The main memory 22 stores an operating system or anapplication program in a non-volatile memory area. The main memory 22stores data required by the processor 21 for performing a process forcontrolling each unit in a volatile memory area. The above data may bestored in the non-volatile memory area. The main memory 22 uses avolatile memory area as a work area where data is appropriatelyrewritten by the processor 21. The non-volatile memory area is, forexample, a ROM. The volatile memory area is, for example, a RAM.

The auxiliary storage device 23 is, for example, an electric erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM®), a hard disk drive (HDD), or asolid state drive (SSD). The auxiliary storage device 23 stores dataused by the processor 21 to perform various types of processing, datagenerated by the processing of the processor 21, or the like. Theauxiliary storage device 23 may store the above application program.

The clock 24 functions as a time information source of the Web server20. The processor 21 tracks the current date and time based on the timeinformation tracked by the clock 24.

The communication interface 25 is an interface circuit for sending andreceiving data to and from the MFP 10 connected via the dedicatedcommunication network 2 according to a predetermined communicationprotocol.

The Web server 20 with the corresponding configuration stores amanagement database 231, an image table 232 (see FIG. 4 ), a managementtable 233 (see FIG. 5 ), and a contact destination table 234 (see FIG. 6) in the auxiliary storage device 23. The management database 231 storesan MFP data record generated for each MFP 10. The MFP data recordincludes items such as a device ID, a name, an installed location, amodel number, a toner state, and contact information of a maintenancestaff or an administrator. The toner state is a state in which amountsof toners of cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and the like are used. Thecontact information of the maintenance staff or the administrator is thetelephone number of the maintenance staff or the administrator to becontacted if the MFP 10 fails. In addition, the storage destinations ofthe management database 231, the image table 232, the management table233, and the contact destination table 234 are not limited to theauxiliary storage device 23. The management database 231, the imagetable 232, the management table 233, and the contact destination table234 may be stored in the volatile memory area of the main memory 22.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the image table232. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the image table 232 is a data tableconfigured with a device ID, image data, and a uniform resource locator(URL). The image data is image data of a Web page screen that displaysthe information according to the failure circumstance of the MFP 10corresponding to the device ID. The Web page screen is referred to as afailure circumstance screen. Details of the failure circumstance screenare described below. According to the present embodiment, the image dataof the failure circumstance screen is managed by an administrator of theWeb server 20 or the like in correlation with the device ID in advance.That is, the administrator or the like updates and stores image data oneby one in response to the failure circumstance of the MFP 10. The imagedata is updated if any change occurs in the information relating to thefailure circumstance, such as repairing the MFP 10 by a maintenancestaff or changing a scheduled recovery date. The URL is a unique addressassigned to the device ID and the image data. The URL specifies theaccess destination of the information relating to the failurecircumstance, that is, the failure circumstance screen. The URL is validfrom the time when the URL is generated until the time when the failedMFP 10 is recovered. In addition, the image table 232 is not limited tothe items of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the managementtable 233. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the management table 233 is a datatable configured with a device ID, a failure date, an updated date, afailure content, a URL, a recovery flag, and the like. The failure dateis a date when the MFP 10 fails. The updated date is a date when theimage data is updated. The failure content is a cause of the failure,for example, that the scanner 11, the control system 13, or theoperation panel 14 fails, or the like. The recovery flag is one-bit datafor identifying whether the failed MFP 10 is recovered. According to thepresent embodiment, the recovery flag is “0” of an initial state untilthe MFP 10 is recovered, and is set to “1” if the MFP 10 is recovered.In addition, the management table 233 is not limited to the items ofFIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the contactdestination table 234. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the contactdestination table 234 is a data table for storing a contact destinationof a user who wants notification of the updated information according tothe failure circumstance of the MFP 10 corresponding to the device IDfor each device ID. The contact destination of the user is, for example,an e-mail address of the user. In addition, the contact destinationtable 234 is not limited to the items of FIG. 6 . FIG. 7 is a blockdiagram illustrating a main circuit configuration of the user terminal30. As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the user terminal 30 includes a processor31, a built-in memory 32 (internal memory), an external memory 33, atouch panel 34 (display), a camera 35, a wide area network interface 36,and a system transmission line 37. The system transmission line 37includes an address bus, a data bus, a control signal line, and thelike. The user terminal 30 connects the processor 31, the built-inmemory 32, the external memory 33, the touch panel 34, the camera 35,and the wide area network interface 36 to the system transmission line37. Also, the processor 31, the built-in memory 32, and the externalmemory 33 are connected to each other via the system transmission line37 to configure a computer that performs information processing forcontrolling the user terminal 30.

The processor 31 controls each unit according to an operating system oran application program so that various functions of the user terminal 30can be realized. The processor 31 is, for example, a central processingunit (CPU).

The built-in memory 32 includes a non-volatile memory area and avolatile memory area. The built-in memory 32 stores an operating systemor an application program in the non-volatile memory area. The built-inmemory 32 stores data required by the processor 31 for performing aprocess for controlling each unit in the volatile memory area. Thebuilt-in memory 32 uses a volatile memory area as a work area where datais appropriately rewritten by the processor 31. The non-volatile memoryarea is, for example, a ROM. The volatile memory area is, for example, aRAM.

The external memory 33 is, for example, a Secure Digital (SD) memorycard or a universal serial bus (USB) memory. The external memory 33stores data to be used by the processor 31 for performing various typesof processing or data generated by the processing by the processor 31.The external memory 33 may store the application program.

The touch panel 34 is a device that includes an input device and adisplay device of the user terminal 30. The touch panel 34 detects thetouch position with respect to the displayed image and outputs the touchposition information to the processor 31.

The camera 35 is an image capturing device built (included) in the userterminal 30. The camera 35 operates as an imaging device of a stillimage or a moving image, or a scanning device of a data code (DC) suchas a barcode or a two-dimensional code by an application programinstalled in the user terminal 30. The camera 35 is an example of a codereader.

The wide area network interface 36 is a device for performing wirelesscommunication of data with the Web server 20 connected via the wide areanetwork 3 according to a predetermined communication protocol.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of main informationprocessing performed by the processor 131 of the MFP 10 according to thecontrol program. FIGS. 9 and 11-13 are flowcharts illustratingprocedures of main information processing performed by the processor 21of the Web server 20 according to the control program. FIG. 10 is aflowchart illustrating a procedure of main information processingperformed by the processor 31 of the user terminal 30 according to thecontrol program. Hereinafter, with reference to these drawings,operations of the information processing system 1 are described. Inaddition, the procedures of the operations and the contents thereof asdescribed below are examples. As long as the same results can beobtained, the procedures and contents thereof are not limited.

The processor 131 of the MFP 10 waits for the occurrence of the failure,as ACT1. If the failure occurs, the processor 131 determines YES in ACT1and proceeds to ACT2. The processor 131 controls the communicationinterface 138 so that a failure command (information relating to failureof the MFP 10) is sent to the Web server 20, as ACT2. According to thiscontrol, the failure command is sent via the communication interface138. The device ID, the failure date, and the failure content stored inthe data memory 134 are included in the failure command.

The processor 21 of the Web server 20 that received the failure commandstarts a command reception process of the procedure illustrated in theflowchart of FIG. 9 .

The processor 21 detects the device ID from the failure command, asACT11. Also, the processor 21 authenticates the MFP 10 identified withthe device ID, as ACT12. Specifically, the processor 21 checks whetherthe MFP data record including the device ID is present in the managementdatabase 231. If the corresponding MFP data record is present in themanagement database 231, the processor 21 determines that the MFPauthentication is valid. In contrast, if the corresponding MFP datarecord is not present in the management database 231, the processor 21determines that the MFP authentication is invalid.

The processor 21 checks the result of the MFP authentication, as ACT13.If the MFP authentication result is invalid, the processor 21 determinesNO in ACT13 and sets the MFP authentication as an error. In case of theerror, the processor 21 controls the communication interface 25 so thatan error command is sent to the MFP 10 as the failure command sendingsource. According to this control, the error command is sent via thecommunication interface 25. The processor 131 of the MFP 10 thatreceives the error command causes the touch panel 141 to display anerror screen.

If the MFP authentication result is valid, the processor 21 determinesYES in ACT13 and proceeds to ACT14. As ACT14, the processor 21 generatesa URL that specifies the image data of the failure circumstance screenthat is the access destination of the information according to thefailure circumstance, which was correlated with the device ID includedin the failure command in advance.

As ACT15, the processor 21 stores a URL corresponding to the device IDand the image data described above in the image table 232. As ACT16, theprocessor 21 stores the device ID, the failure date, and the failurecontent included in the failure command in the management table 233 andthe URL generated in the process of ACT14.

As ACT17, the processor 21 controls the communication interface 25 sothat the display command is sent to the MFP 10 of the failure commandsending source. According to this control, the display command is sentvia the communication interface 25. Screen data of an access screen 100(see FIG. 14 ) is included in the display command. With the above, theprocessor 21 ends the failure command reception process.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the accessscreen 100. As illustrated in FIG. 14 , the access screen 100 isconfigured with a data code which is a symbol and text data thatnotifies that the failure circumstance can be checked if the data codeis read. The data code is, for example, a two-dimensional barcode. Thedata code includes the URL generated in the process of ACT14 of FIG. 9 .In addition, the contents of the text data and the image displayed onFIG. 14 are examples.

The description refers back to FIG. 8 .

The processor 131 of the MFP 10 that controls the sending of the failurecommand in ACT2 waits for a display command from the Web server 20, asACT3. If a display command is received from the Web server 20, theprocessor 131 determines YES in ACT3 and proceeds to ACT4. The processor131 causes the touch panel 141 to display the access screen 100, asACT4. With the above, the processor 131 ends the information processingof the procedure illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 8 .

The user who uses the MFP 10 checks the access screen 100 displayed onthe touch panel 141 and starts a dedicated application of the userterminal 30. Then, the processor 31 starts the information processing ofthe procedure illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 10 .

The processor 31 starts the camera 35, as ACT21. If the camera 35starts, the processor 31 causes the touch panel 34 to display the camerascreen. In addition, an image indicating a reading area of a data codeof the two-dimensional code system is displayed on the camera screen.The user who checks the camera screen holds a lens of the camera 35 overthe data code so that the data code fits in the image.

The processor 31 waits for the data code read by the camera 35, asACT22. If the data code fits in the image, the processor 31 determinesthat the data code is read. The processor 31 determines YES in ACT22 andproceeds to ACT23.

The processor 31 extracts the URL included in the data code as ACT23.The processor 31 controls the wide area network interface 36 and sendsthe URL to the Web server 20, as ACT24. The processor 21 of the Webserver 20 that received the URL starts the URL reception process of theprocedure illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 11 .

As ACT41, the processor 21 refers to the image table 232 and extractsimage data corresponding to the received URL. As ACT42, the processor 21controls the communication interface 25 so that the circumstance commandis sent to the user terminal 30 of the URL sending source. According tothis control, the circumstance command is sent via the communicationinterface 25. The circumstance command is received by the user terminal30 via the wide area network 3. The device ID and the screen data of afailure circumstance screen 200 (see FIG. 15 ) are included in thecircumstance command. With the above, the processor 21 ends the URLreception process.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the failurecircumstance screen 200. As illustrated in FIG. 15 , the deviceinformation (such as the name, the installed location, the model number,the toner state, and the contact information of a maintenance staff oran administrator), the failure content, and a message notifying theprogress status of the failure circumstance, the scheduled recoverydate, or the like, are displayed on the failure circumstance screen 200.A contact destination input field 201 is displayed on the failurecircumstance screen 200, together with the text data promoting a userwho wants the notification of the updated information relating to thefailure circumstance of the MFP 10 to input a contact destination. Thecontact destination of the user is, for example, an e-mail address. Animage of a send button 202 and an image of a close button 203 aredisplayed on the failure circumstance screen 200. If the user wants thenotification of the update, the user touches the send button 202 afterinputting the contact destination to the contact destination input field201. If the user does not want the notification of the update, the usertouches the close button 203. Even if a plurality of different usersaccess the failure circumstance screen 200, the same screen is uniformlyprovided. Here, the contact destination of the user which was inputpreviously is not displayed. The contents of the text data and the imagedisplayed in FIG. 15 are examples.

The description refers back to FIG. 10 .

The processor 31 of the user terminal 30 that controls the URL sendingin ACT24 waits for the circumstance command from the Web server 20 asACT25. If the circumstance command is received from the Web server 20,the processor 31 determines YES in ACT25 and proceeds to ACT26. Theprocessor 31 causes the touch panel 34 to display the failurecircumstance screen 200, as ACT26.

If the user who checked the failure circumstance screen 200 wants thenotification of the updated information relating to the failurecircumstance of the MFP 10, the user inputs an e-mail address to thecontact destination input field 201 and touches the send button 202.

The processor 31 checks whether the send button 202 was touched, asACT27. If the send button 202 was not touched, the processor 31determines NO in ACT27 and proceeds to ACT30. If the send button 202 istouched, the processor 31 determines YES in ACT27 and proceeds to ACT28.The processor 31 checks whether the e-mail address is input to thecontact destination input field 201, as ACT28.

If the e-mail address is not input to the contact destination inputfield 201, the processor 31 determines NO in ACT28 and proceeds toACT30. If the e-mail address is input to the contact destination inputfield 201, the processor 31 determines YES in ACT28 and proceeds toACT29.

The processor 31 controls the wide area network interface 36 so that thecontact destination command is sent to the Web server 20, as ACT29.According to this control, the contact destination command is sent fromthe wide area network interface 36. The contact destination command isreceived by the Web server 20 via the wide area network 3. The device IDincluded in the circumstance command and the screen data of the failurecircumstance screen 200 to which the e-mail address is input areincluded in the contact destination command.

The processor 31 checks whether the close button 203 was touched asACT30. If the close button 203 was not touched, the processor 31determines NO in ACT30 and returns to ACT27. That is, the user can inputthe e-mail address again. According to the present embodiment, wheneverthe user inputs the e-mail address to the contact destination inputfield 201 and touches the send button 202, the processor 31 sends thecontact destination command. If the close button 203 is touched, theprocessor 31 determines YES in ACT30 and proceeds to ACT31.

The processor 31 closes the failure circumstance screen 200 that isdisplayed on the touch panel 34, as ACT31. With the above, the processor31 ends the information processing of the procedure illustrated in theflowchart of FIG. 10 .

The processor 21 of the Web server 20 that receives the contactdestination command starts the contact destination command receptionprocess of the procedure illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 12 .

The processor 21 detects the device ID from the contact destinationcommand, as ACT51. The processor 21 extracts the contact destinationtable 234 corresponding to the device ID, as ACT52.

As ACT53, the processor 21 stores an e-mail address in the contactdestination table 234 based on the screen data of the failurecircumstance screen 200 included in the contact destination command. Inaddition, if the contact destination command is received from the sameuser a plurality of times, the processor 21 rewrites the newest e-mailaddress and stores the newest e-mail address in the contact destinationtable 234. With the above, the processor 21 ends the reception processof the contact destination command.

As ACT61 of FIG. 13 , the Web server 20 waits for the update of theimage data according to the failure circumstance by the administrator.If the image data is updated, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT61and proceeds to ACT62.

The processor 21 acquires the updated image data, as ACT62. As ACT63,the processor 21 refers to the image table 232 and acquires the deviceID corresponding to the updated image data. The processor 21 extractsall registered contact destinations with reference to the contactdestination table 234 corresponding to the device ID, as ACT64.

As ACT65, the processor 21 notifies that the information relating to thefailure circumstance of the MFP 10 with respect to the contactdestinations extracted in the process of ACT64 was updated. Thenotification content is, for example, “the recovery was completed,” “thescheduled recovery date is changed to July 22,” or the like. As ACT66,the processor 21 checks whether the notification content is a recoverynotification. The recovery notification notifies that the failed MFP 10was recovered. The above message “the recovery was completed” is anexample. If the notification content is not a recovery notification ofthe MFP 10, the processor 21 determines NO in ACT66 and proceeds toACT68. The process of ACT68 is described below. In case of the recoverynotification, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT66 and proceeds toACT67. The processor 21 refers to the management table 233 and updatesthe recovery flag on the same row as the device ID to “1,” as ACT67. Ifthe recovery flag is set to “1,” all items on the same row as therecovery flag are invalidated. That is, according to the recovery of theMFP 10, the user cannot access the failure circumstance screen 200 thatis correlated with the failure of the MFP 10. The contact destinationtable 234 corresponding to the invalidated device ID is alsoinvalidated. That is, the notification to the user who wants thenotification of the updated information relating to the failurecircumstance of the MFP 10 is not performed. The processor 21 updatesthe updated date of the management table 233, as ACT68. With the above,the processor 21 ends the information processing of the procedureillustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 13 .

As clearly understood from the above, the Web server 20 is an example ofthe server device which configures the communication unit by performingthe processes of ACT1 to ACT4 of FIG. 8 . That is, the Web server 20communicates with an information processing device that includes adisplay unit (display) displaying a symbol and a sending unit(transmitter) sending information relating to the failure of theinformation processing device, that is, the MFP 10.

The processor 21 of the Web server 20 configures the information storageunit by performing the process of ACT16 of FIG. 9 . That is, the Webserver 20 stores the information relating to the failure sent from theMFP 10.

The processor 21 of the Web server 20 configures an output unit(transmitter) by performing the processes of ACT41 and ACT42 of FIG. 11. That is, the Web server 20 outputs the information relating to thefailure stored in the access destination specified by the symbol to theuser terminal 30 that read the symbol.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the failurecircumstance screen 200 is displayed on the touch panel 34 by readingthe data code of the access screen 100 displayed on the touch panel 141of the MFP 10 with the user terminal 30. Therefore, the user can easilygrasp the failure circumstance of the MFP 10 without a complicatedoperation. In addition, the contact destination input field 201 isdisplayed on the failure circumstance screen 200. Accordingly, the usercan select whether to request the notification of the updatedinformation relating to the failure circumstance of the MFP 10.

In addition, the processor 21 of the Web server 20 configures thecontact destination storage unit by performing the process of ACT53 ofFIG. 12 . That is, the Web server 20 stores the contact destination. Theprocessor 21 of the Web server 20 configures the sending unit byperforming the processes of ACT61 to ACT65 of FIG. 13 . That is, if theinformation relating to the failure of the MFP 10 is updated, the Webserver 20 sends the information relating to the failure updated to thecontact destination stored in the contact destination storage unit.

According to the present embodiment, if the information relating to thefailure circumstance of the MFP 10 is updated, the user who inputs thecontact destination to the contact destination input field 201 of thefailure circumstance screen 200 and touches the send button 202 isnotified of the update. Accordingly, the user does not need to read thedata code of the access screen 100 one by one in order to access thefailure circumstance screen 200, and thus the effort of the user isreduced. Further, since the notification is performed only to the userwho wants notification of the updated information relating to thefailure circumstance of the MFP 10, it is possible to prevent the userwho does not want the notification from feeling annoyed due to thenotification.

With the above, the embodiment of the server device and the controlprogram thereof is described, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In the above embodiment, a case where the information processing deviceis the MFP 10 is exemplified. The information processing device is notlimited to the MFP 10. For example, the information processing devicemay be a copying machine or a printer.

In the above embodiment, a case where a two-dimensional barcode which isa symbol is displayed on the access screen 100 is exemplified. Thesymbol is not limited to the two-dimensional barcode. For example, thesymbol may be an image of a figure including a URL.

According to the embodiment, a case where the Web server 20 generates aURL is exemplified. For example, the MFP 10 may generate a URL and sendthe URL to the Web server 20 together with the device ID, the failuredate, and the failure content stored in the data memory 134. Inaddition, according to the embodiment, a case where the URL is generatedfor each time of the failure is exemplified. For example, the URL may beset for each MFP 10.

According to the embodiment, a case where the management database 231 isstored in the auxiliary storage device 23 of the Web server 20 isexemplified. For example, the management database 231 may be stored inthe MFP 10.

In the above embodiment, a case where the update of the informationrelating to the failure circumstance of the MFP 10 is notified to thecontact destination of the user is exemplified. For example, anembodiment may be configured so that the URL is sent to the userterminal 30 and the user can access the failure circumstance screen 200if the user touches the corresponding URL.

In the above embodiment, a case where the user cannot access the failurecircumstance screen 200 of the MFP 10 corresponding to the recovery flagif the recovery flag is set to “1” is exemplified. For example, amessage such as “the recovery was completed” may be displayed on thefailure circumstance screen 200 if the recovery flag is set to “1.” Inthe above embodiment, a case where the processor 21 of the Web server 20rewrites the newest e-mail address and stores the newest e-mail addressin the contact destination table 234 if the contact destination commandis received from the same user a plurality of times is exemplified. Forexample, whenever the contact destination command is received from thesame user a plurality of times, an e-mail address may be stored in thecontact destination table 234. That is, the user can register aplurality of e-mail addresses.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the novel embodiment describedherein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of thepresent disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents areintended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within thescope and spirit of the present disclosure.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A system comprising: a user device comprising anetwork interface, a reader, and a first display; and a servercomprising: a communication interface configured to communicate with thenetwork interface of the user device and an information processingdevice that includes a second display; and a first controller configuredto: receive, and store in a memory, a failure command relating to afailure of the information processing device; generate a first screencommand based on the failure command, the first screen commandinstructing the information processing device to generate a first screenincluding a symbol that is readable by the reader and text dataindicating that the failure has occurred; send the first screen commandto the information processing device; generate a second screen commandbased on the failure command, the second screen command instructing theuser device to display a second screen on the first display, the secondscreen including failure content; and send the second screen to the userdevice.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein: the communication interfaceis further configured to receive an update from the informationprocessing device; and the second screen further includes a fieldconfigured to receive a contact destination at which a user desires toreceive a notification of the update.
 23. The system of claim 22,wherein: the memory is configured to store the contact destination; andthe first controller is further configured to send the update to thecontact destination.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the contactdestination is an e-mail address.
 25. The system of claim 21, whereinthe symbol is a two-dimensional code.
 26. The system of claim 21,wherein: the user device further comprises a second controllerconfigured to access a uniform resource locator in response to readingthe symbol; and the second screen displayed by the first display isprovided by the uniform resource locator.
 27. The system of claim 26,wherein the first controller is configured to embed the uniform resourcelocator in the symbol.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the secondcontroller is configured to access the uniform resource locator inresponse to identifying the uniform resource locator from the symbol.29. The system of claim 21, wherein the second screen further includes adevice information and a message identifying a current status of thefailure.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the device informationincludes at least one of (a) a name of the information processingdevice, (b) a location of the information processing device, (c) a modelnumber of the information processing device, (d) a toner state of theinformation processing device, or (e) contact information at least oneof maintenance staff or an administrator.
 31. The system of claim 21,wherein the failure content provides information relating to a cause ofthe failure.
 32. A user device comprising: a camera configured tocapture an image of a symbol displayed on a first display of aninformation processing device, the symbol containing information relatedto a failure of the information processing device; a second display; anda controller configured to: control the camera to capture the image ofthe symbol; extract the information from the captured image of thesymbol; and control the second display to display a screen based on theextracted information, the screen including failure content related tothe failure of the information processing device.
 33. The user device ofclaim 32, further comprising a network interface configured tocommunicate wirelessly with a server that generates the symbol.
 34. Theuser device of claim 32, wherein the user device is a smartphone, thesmartphone controlling the second display according to an applicationprogram installed on the smartphone.
 35. The user device of claim 32,wherein the symbol is a two-dimensional code, and the informationrelated to the failure of the information processing device is auniversal resource locator embedded in the two-dimensional code.
 36. Amethod of responding to a failure of an information processing device,the method comprising: capturing, by a camera of a user device, an imageof a symbol displayed by a first display of the information processingdevice; extracting, by the user device from the image of the symbol,information related to the failure of the information processing device;and displaying, on a second display of the user device, a screen basedon the extracted information, the screen including failure contentrelated to the failure of the information processing device.
 37. Themethod of claim 36, further comprising: receiving, by a server, afailure command relating to the failure of the information processingdevice; and generating, by the server, a first screen command based onthe failure command, the first screen command instructing theinformation processing device to display the symbol and text dataindicating that the failure has occurred.
 38. The method of claim 37,further comprising communicating wirelessly between the user device andthe server.
 39. The method of claim 36, wherein the user device is asmartphone, and the smartphone controls the second display according toan application program installed on the smartphone.
 40. The method ofclaim 36, wherein the symbol is a two-dimensional code, and theinformation related to the failure of the information processing deviceis a universal resource locator embedded in the two-dimensional code.